Wayfinders (Wayfinders #1)

After biracial (Black and white) 13-year-old Chloe’s mother leaves to take care of her ailing parent, Chloe discovers a host of mythological beings seeking refuge on her family’s farm. Having been displaced from their world by a devastating fire that drove them through a portal, the creatures—which include Fable the unicorn, Adrina the mermaid, and Baxley the giant—must find a new route home. Chloe enlists her father, who is navigating unspecified mental health challenges, to convoy their unlikely guests across the state in the family’s old Winnebago and horse trailer. The journey is anything but smooth: vehicular trouble, a run-in with the police, and the logistics of transporting a mermaid quickly descend the trip into chaos, especially after a witch-led biker gang desiring Fable’s magic begins pursuit. Chloe and her companions are rarely able to catch a breath in this fast and frenetic tale by Chick (the Secret Zoo series). By slowly unveiling details of Chloe’s recent traumatic past and placing her acute loneliness and sorrow into further context, Chick balances this madcap adventure with earnest emotion, and sensitively explores living with family members managing mental illness. Ages 8–12. Agent: Mark Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Mar.)